7.

Nome Alaska-1925

Kyle grunts as he lifts the box of goods off the deck and stumbles towards the docks before holding it up higher until one of his fellow workers reaches down and takes it from his grasp.

He pauses briefly to press a hand against his mouth and force back a hurl. Honestly, the ship is tethered to land and is just barely bobbing against the surf, but that still doesn't stop his stomach from churning.

"Hurry up boy!" screams one of the older dockhands, "it's getting dark!"

He scowls in the person's direction, but he doesn't flinch, maybe he is used to seeing angry, annoyed faces on the job. Instead, he thinks about it being nearly dark, he fantasies about sleeping in his cot before remembering the moon is still full.

"Freaking perfect," he growls under his breath as he picks up another box, "the week still isn't over."

Whenever he changes, he somehow receives an extra reserve of energy that keeps him up at night, but it leaves him exhausted as an aftereffect when morning comes. Maybe he can just sleep in his wolf form after what happened last night he doesn't feel like traveling into the forest.

The thought causes his arms to shake with anger before he practically throws the near seventy-pound box at the man standing on the pier.

"Holy-" that's as far as the man got before he gasps as the box hits him square in the chest. He struggles to hold the container, but Kyle's face drains of color when he sees that the older gentlemen are losing his footing and he is getting close to the opposite side of the landing. If he falls into the near sub-zero waters he may catch pneumonia, not unless he drowns first.

In a mere instant, Kyle shoots forward like lightning; he bounds from the deck of the ship and onto the docks as he reaches out with both hands, grabs the heavy box, and yanks it towards him, pulling both the cargo and his fellow co-worker away from the edge.

They both stand there, gasping for air, either it was from their near tumble into the blue or because they are just trying to stay warm in the frigid weather, neither had a clue.

Finally, the man looks up into Kyle's face, causing the younger to bow his head slightly in shame due to his previous action that may have cost them their jobs, let alone their lives. It may not be much to most people, but one can easily get a fever in such icy conditions and in the old man's age his body might not be strong enough to fight off any form of sickness, making him vulnerable to death.

However, the youth whips his head back up when he hears a booming chortle and sees that the old man is laughing.

"Holy smokes son," he chuckles, "that was some toss, have you ever considered a life in baseball?"

Kyle just stares before he starts laughing as well. He has no idea why though, maybe he's just happy to be alive; something that always filled him with glee whenever an artillery shell slams into the dirt a mere foot away from his trench during the war would be a good example.

"Come on then boy," the old sea hand starts walking, with Kyle supporting one side of the crate while he supports the other end, "if we can get off early, I'll buy ya a beer."

Kyle couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, the old guy was grizzled and tough, no funny business and straight forward, he wonders what he would have been like if he was a Marine.

Balto ran for all that he is worth before coming to a stop in the middle of the forest as he frantically looks around. Aleu had shown him where her pack was located once, but that was a long time ago and the arrival of Kyle has blocked most of his memory since then. Where can they be? He needs to hurry in case-

There is another howl, he quickly zeroes in on the sound and rushes forward, running with all his might. He hurtles over branches, slides under tree trunks, and breakthrough branches before skidding to a halt when he hears a soft growl.

As soon as he stopped, a brown and black wolf stepped out of some bushes it was hiding in and peers at him closely.

"Who are you?" he asks, "speak quickly before I tear out your heart," he rumbles.

Balto sighs, "I'm Balto, father of-"

He didn't finish, instead, the wolf bowed low and stares at the ground, not moving.

"My apologies Balto," he says in a sincere tone, "I didn't know it was you and-"

"It's fine," Balto says a little impatiently, "I heard the call, where is my daughter?"

"Right this way," the wolf says without hesitation as he turns and leads the concerned father down the trail he was previously running.

They reached a large rock that is embedded within the side of a small cliff, but it had a large crack running down its center. The wolf easily slips through while Balto follows with caution. The inside is damp and cool as gusts of wind whistles around them as they move in a single file, following the twisting path as they are flanked by the stone's large interiors. After a while, they exit the rock, and Balto finds himself inside a very spacious cavern.

He has lived near the forest all his life, but he didn't know this place, or anything like it for that matter, existed. It was a canyon-like setting with waving walls that look as if they have been smoothed out by passing water, making its surface look smooth and gives the impression that it's sparkling. Among the walls are multitudes of holes built within the walls, some are barely large enough for a single wolf while another looks as if it can hold over ten. The ceiling is open to the sky and Balto can partially make out the overlapping vegetation of trees and bushes, resting close to the lip of the opening. In the very center is a pool of water that looks so pure Balto doubts anyone is allowed to bathe in it.

"How far back does this go?" Balto asks, momentarily forgetting the situation as he gestures towards the back of the canyon.

"It goes on for a while before it soothes out and comes to the river," answers his wolf guide, "we don't come in that way since we would get wet," he gives a toothy grin, "so we mostly come in through the other way."

"Balto!"

The hybrid and his wolf companion turns to see a female rushing towards them, a Beta that Balto remembers as Kila.

"Balto," cries the she-wolf, "Aleu is going to kill herself, you got to stop her!"

His eyes widen in shock, unable to comprehend her words before asking, "what?"

"Just come on!" Kila says and bounds away, with Balto close behind.

They passed many wolves that look on in confusion and mild interest as the wolves ran through their living area. As they moved the father couldn't help but wonder what is going on. They only howl if there is trouble and him not seeing Aleu immediately puts him on guard and makes him feel like he is having a seizure. His daughter may not be a pup but that doesn't stop him from worrying, especially after what had happened last night with how Eran acted towards them. Had he found her and done something to her? Is she even alive? What is she-

"Kila, did you set off another false alarm?"

Balto breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Aleu walking out of one of the dens with the rest of her Betas following close behind.

"Sorry papa," Aleu offers him an almost embarrassed grin, "there's nothing wrong," she puts emphasis on the last phrase before giving Kila an annoyed look.

The she-wolf, however, retains the look of anxiety before turning to Balto, "She's planning on seeing Eran again."

Balto's eyes widen, but before he could say anything he hears someone ask, "Whose Eran?"

They turn to see that the wolf who had led Balto in earlier is standing there behind them.

"Just a lone wolf I need to negotiate with Isaac," Aleu says with a soft smile, "it's all under control, please return to sentry duty."

Wearily the wolf looks at the assembled pack leaders before he reluctantly turns and leaves the assembly.

Balto look around briefly to make sure there is no one else within hearing before turning on his daughter, "Aleu, please tell me you're not really going to-"

"I have to Papa," she interrupts as she looks him in the eye with an apologetic expression, "Eran has every right to be mad at us, I need to go see him and make peace between us."

"But this is insane," Sitka puts in, "if what you said about yesterday is true then this wolf will be out for blood, particularly one of us."

Aleu sighs before shaking her head, "I doubt it."

"But how do you know?" Balto demands.

"Because if it was me, I would avoid attention as much as possible, especially after what had happened yesterday," her reply held a tinge of sorrow within it. Normally this would evoke a feeling of compassion and understanding from her father, but not this time, when a dangerous man-wolf creature is involved it didn't work.

"Aleu," he says with authority in his voice, "I forbid you to-"

"Papa!" she growls at him, "I respect you and will do whatever you would ask, but even you must realize that something needs to be done, lest we risk the chance of coming to disagreements with Eran."

"By disagreements, you mean a pack war, right?" questions Sitka.

Before his leader could respond, Kila puts in, "the blood star is high, remember? There is supposed to be bloodshed."

"For the love of…" Sitka murmurs, "Kila, it's the red star, and when did you start listening to Nuju?" He clamps his jaw shut and looks at the grey wolf in question, "no offense."

Nuju shrugs, "It is common for stars being wanted but not at the same time."

"Uh…right…" Sitka nods though looking confused all the while.

All fall silent again until Balto breaks the tension, "Alright, Aleu, you may be on to something here, but perhaps I should be the one to go-"

"Why?" his daughter instantly cuts him off, "papa this is my pack, and Eran is…was my associate," she whispers with a hint of guilt before swelling her chest, "as pack leader I must do what is best for my wolves."

"But why not Sitka?" Balto demands, "He can go in your place and represent the pack instead."

The male wolf in question suddenly gulps in nervousness, the thought about meeting a giant man-creature wasn't a part of his job of being a pack Beta.

"It has to be me," Aleu says again, "Eran knows me, it'll make him comfortable seeing a familiar face, I doubt he'll even hesitate in tearing Sitka apart on sight-" she catches herself and clams up before looking at the male, "No offense."

"None taken," is his squeaky response.

Balto sighs, "Well let me come with you, or at least someone from the pack."

"No Papa," she says with a determined light in her eyes, "it has to be me and me alone, Eran is right to be angry with me, I need to talk to him and see if I can make amends between us."

"But-" Balto is caught off again.

"If Eran sees me with other wolves, or worse, wolves that are surrounding him and set for a fight, it will end very badly," Aleu pauses to look up through the crack in the ceiling and announces, "I should get going."

She turns to leave but her father calls out to her, "Aleu."

She pauses and looks back at him as he says, "We'll remain here, but if you're not back before sunrise we're going to come looking for you."

Her Betas nods in confirmation to the plan, both Kila and Sitka looking nervous while Nuju maintains his blended appearance. The sight doesn't help Aleu's conflicting courage as she merely nods in silent thanks before heading towards the exit.

Kyle moans as he completes his transformation and lies on the floor, panting heavily.

Why can't I ever get used to that? He wonders to himself as he crawls back into his cot and curls in on himself. He doesn't feel like running, he might run into Aleu…and he honestly doesn't know what to do if he sees her again.

He growls at himself for the situation he is in now. He is unsure if he is angry, frustrated, or even saddened by what had transpired the night before. She told him he can trust her, that she understands. Yet when the hybrid came in, her 'papa,' came bursting through the trees and started throwing accusations around, she instantly turned on him, she believed that he was causing trouble.

But for what end? It wasn't even directly pointed at him, moreover at his aliases, as Kyle as the one they are wary of. And for what? For his smell? He would understand if he robbed a bank or committed murder, but considering he hasn't done any of that before and never will, what gave these dogs the right to judge? Maybe things are worse here than back in the states. There the dogs just hounded him and bit him, but here the canines speak to him, get close to him, and hurts him more than ever before with their words and beliefs.

He breathes heavily as he stretches and spreads out his arms while cracking his feet as well. He lays his head back and rests it on his rough pillow. He knows there is going to be shed hair on his sleeping space, but at the moment he doesn't care. As he lies there, he tries to plan what he is going to do next.

Whether he likes this place or not, it doesn't matter, he can't stay here. The dogs are already suspicious of him, or rather Kyle, and his wolf sided self isn't helping. To be honest, he is surprised they haven't come to fight or started howling like mad to get their owner's attention when he comes in close. As for the wolves…he didn't want to think about it.

He growls lowly at himself for being this pathetic. Yet this has never happened before though, he had actually thought he had made a connection with Aleu. Worse, he believed he had met someone who could become his friend. This may sound childish, but to be truthful, she was the first person who he met that actually seems to like him for being himself, at the very least came to respect his privacy, but still remain civil towards him. Sure there is always more than one person he would meet in the various cities and towns that would practically fall over themselves to meet and get social with a war veteran. But that's it, those people want to get to know the warrior, they are not at all interested in who Kyle is or what his interests are.

He covers his eyes with his hands in agitation towards himself. And neither does Aleu since she doesn't even know his real name or the unbelievable fact that he is part man and part wolf. So much for that idea of her knowing who he is, it looks like the only way he is to get close with anybody now would be to tell them the whole truth, otherwise, he'll just be a great big liar. The very thing he hated about people before his animalistic transformations.

He turns over on his cot and slowly went over his options. This is as far north as someone could get, where can he go from here? Across the ocean maybe? But that won't work, there are still very religious people in Asia and Russia; they may never have heard of a 'wolf-man' before, but he is sure they will have their eyes open for anything out of the ordinary and will burn him if they find so much as one thing wrong with him. He unconsciously rubs his forearms, feeling the diagonal lines that scar this body alone. A small reminder that there are people who are always on the lookout for the 'demons' of the world.

That would leave him with only the south as his last option here in the Americas. But everything below the New Mexican territories are Spanish speaking countries and they are mostly Catholic, do they have something in their ideals to suggest what he is? He isn't willing to bet his life on it now. That would leave the territories, the Wild West, but how long will it be wild? He already read in the paper how the small settlements there are already advancing, it won't be long until they are as populated as the cities on the East coast.

The two other options would be Europe and Africa. He's not sure if he can bear to live in the place where his nightmares have originated, where his curse came from. Besides, it was already proven that there isn't really anywhere safe for him there.

And as for Africa…he's not sure what to expect from it. Bleeding hot deserts in the north or humid jungles in the south where he has no idea how to survive, let alone understand the native tongue there. There will also be the natives and the English colonists to deal with, and he isn't sure what to think of their religion or their beliefs.

He groans again before growling at the brutality and misunderstanding of nature. He doesn't mean harm, he doesn't want trouble, he just wants a place to live and perhaps even start a family, but the creatures and humans of the earth have condemned him as if his very existence is a crime.

How he longs for the old days. His life on a farm, his brother by his side, old school buddies, his comrades of the Marines; he would even put up with his drunken father if he could have his humanity back; to belong once again.

These are hopes and dreams that are now impossible for him to obtain. There is no hope for him now, he is a monster and he will probably die a monster with no one by his side. No wife, no kids, no friends…why is he even living anymore.

He glances up at the sky through his window and sighs.

"God…" he murmurs softly, "why am I alive?"

There is no answer.

He looks down at the floor, maybe there is no hope.

He stiffens when he hears a faint scratching on the door.

He rolls onto the ground and lands on all four, leaning down low and with his teeth bared. Have the dogs finally decided to attack? Is this some kind of elaborate surprise assault plan that they had devised? A battle which will result in him having to make tracks to who knows where? If they're here for an attack, then he'll give them the fight of their lives, they wanted a monster; he'll give them a monster.

"Eran?"

His whole stance just about went out of him in a single gust of air when he recognizes who was speaking, who was outside.

"Eran, I know you're here, please let me in…I-I know you can," she finishes with a small hint of fear in her tone.

A mixture of feelings courses through him at that moment. Does she know? How did she find out? Did she tell anyone else? Is she scared of him? Why is she here? Should he be expecting trouble?

For some odd reason though, it was almost like a gut feeling, to be honest though; he knew that wasn't how Aleu acts, tricking prey into traps. With slow and unsteady steps, he makes his way to the door before standing up on his hind legs, gulps nervously, undoes the lock, and opens the door.

Standing in front of him, slightly crouched as if in preparation to run, is Aleu. She quickly looks him up and down before averting her gaze, seeing him upright and with the full use of his arms makes her uncomfortable apparently.

Still, he tries to be curious as he slowly nods towards her and greets her carefully.

"Erm…hello Aleu…" he says uncertainty.

She quickly bobs her head and returns with, "Hello Eran…"

An awkward air fills the atmosphere before he steps back a little and gestures with his arm, "would you like to come in?"

She eyes the interior of the building before looking back at him until she nods in acceptance and cautiously enters his home. Kyle looks around to make sure no one, wolf, dog, or human, was watching before he closes the door.

When he turns around, Aleu was sniffing around his bag, but she immediately stops when she notices that he is watching her. She turns to face him but doesn't meet his eyes and for a moment, they are quiet.

Just like old times, Kyle sarcastically thought to himself.

She hasn't changed, but he obviously has. After last night he would have kept the door shut and not let her in, yet he practically opened his whole world for her, but why? It was almost like instinct, maybe his wolf side is sensing that she is a pack leader and will do anything that she says. This may be a problem for him in the future if that proves to be true.

"So…" Aleu starts out as she casts one more look around the tiny shed, "your human isn't here?"

He stares at her for a near minute before it finally clicked. She thinks that he and Kyle are two separate people and that he is his owner. Though a little demeaning, he guesses that has to be his new alibi for now. Does this mean she doesn't know about his moonlight changes?

He clears his mind before he finally speaks, "Yes, he's uh…he's not here," he mentally slapped himself for the obviousness of the situation before stuttering along, "he's, uh…seeing someone, another human I guess, I don't know when he will be back."

She nods her head as if in understanding, "I wasn't sure if you would let me in," she looks up at him, "your human won't mind will he?"

He tries to stop himself from grinning before replying, "No he doesn't, he's actually a nice guy."

"I guess I wouldn't know," she says with an apologetic shrug and then falls silent again.

Kyle waits for her to speak before he heaves heavily, rubs his eyes, and asks, "what do you want Aleu?"

She continues looking at the floor for a while until she glances up, "I wanted to speak to you…I waited in that small area you had claimed earlier, but you didn't show up."

He feels himself flush a little as he remembers the events of the previous night, but he brandishes that away as he asks a new question.

"And…how was it that you found me here?" he questions.

She shrugs again, "I just followed your scent, it was faint but still there."

He frowns slightly at this before saying, "I don't appreciate being followed Aleu."

"I already guessed that," she says as she observes the wall for no obvious reason, "but I had no other way of contacting you."

"Why did you want to contact me?" he already knows what the answer probably is, but for some reason, he wants to hear it from her to confirm his theory.

She finally sighs and looks up into his red eyes, "because I wish to apologize," she looks down at the floor again, "it was wrong of me to have judged you so quickly…especially after what I said earlier about not believing in prejudice."

Kyle merely grunts as he crosses his arms and leans against the door, "but why are you apologizing? Afraid that I was going to attack the pack if you didn't?"

He is a little taken aback when she snaps her head back and snarls, "No, I'm doing this because I know I had wronged you and…and…"

"And what?" he asks, slightly curious with what it is she has to say.

"And…I was afraid," here she glances at him, "afraid of losing a friend."

He is speechless for a moment. That's how she felt? He knows he should be mad at her; a simple apology shouldn't be enough to make up for what had transpired last night. And yet…he wanted to forgive her, he truly did because she is the first person to have ever wanted to be his companion. He doesn't want to be alone anymore, he's sure he'll go mad if he isolates himself any further. True he won't be able to open himself fully to the wolf pack leader, but he'll be freer in his wolf form. Aside from that though, it means he wouldn't have to move anywhere anytime soon, maybe she could even talk to the dogs to get them off of his back.

With all the reasoning done with, he returns to looking at Aleu, who has an anxious look on her face.

"I suppose…I can forgive you," he gives her a small grin, "and I have to admit…I can't really blame you considering how I…look," here he gestures to his body with his clawed hand.

Aleu just smiles back, "Maybe, but still, it won't happen again, I'll try my hardest, I swear."

"Just say you won't attack me without good reason," he says with lowered eyes.

Aleu gulps, "Of course, I completely under…" she trails off and instead glares at Kyle when she sees him smirking at her.

"That wasn't funny," she says while she takes on a defensive stance.

Kyle chuckles as he raises his hands, "sorry, but you gotta admit I wanted to see how you would react."

She growls, but it was weaker this time while her eyes never seem to leave him. He finally realizes that he is making her uncomfortable with him standing and using human gestures so he lowers himself back down until he is on all fours like a dog.

She cocks her head to her side and asks, "How do you do that?"

He gives her a puzzled look.

"You're able to stand up and have the arms, legs, and feet of a man, but when you lower yourself down you're able to use them like they are natural paws." She elaborates.

He looks his body over once before shrugging, "Beats me," he admits, "I thought of that once and the best thing I was able to figure is that I must be double-jointed."

She seems perplexed about the claim but doesn't say a thing. Instead, she looks out the window and comments, "the night has just begun," she looks back at him.

"Will your human be mad at you if you leave for a while?" she questions.

He is silent as he considers his answer before replying, "Just as long as I'm back before dawn."

She nods her head and asks, "Would you like to go for a walk?" She suddenly gives him a wicked grin, "I have someplace I want to show you."

He gives her a toothy smile in return before he reaches up with one hand, twists the knob, and opens the door again.

"Lead the way," he simply says.